Apparatus, system and method for power measurement

ABSTRACT

A power measurement device, which may be mounted to an inside area of a crank arm, includes processing circuitry within a housing. The processing circuitry is coupled with strain gauges mounted on the crank arm, and produces a power value that is wireless transmitted to a separate display that may receive and display power measurements. The housing may include a mounted portion and a cantilever portion where the mounted portion houses the processing circuitry and the cantilever portion houses batteries supply energy for the processing circuitry and other features.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/133,256 filed Aug. 17, 2018 entitled “Apparatus, System andMethod for Power Measurement,” which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/232,631 filed Aug. 9, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No.10,076,681 issued Aug. 18, 2018, entitled “Apparatus, System and Methodfor Power Measurement,” which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/356,487 filed Jan. 23, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No.9,417,144 issued Aug. 16, 2016, entitled “Apparatus, System and Methodfor Power Measurement,” which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e)to provisional application Ser. No. 61/435,207 filed Jan. 21, 2011entitled “Apparatus, System and Method for Power Measurement,” all ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects of the present disclosure involve a power measurement device andmethods for calculating power for use with a crank of a bicycle,exercise bicycle or other exercise and fitness equipment.

BACKGROUND

Fitness training using a power meter, particularly for bicyclists, isincreasing popular. Power meters measure and display the rider's poweroutput, typically displayed in Watts, used for pedaling. Power meters ofmany different sorts have been adapted for use on bicycles, exercisebicycles and other fitness equipment. Many of these designs are overlycomplicated, prone to error, and/or prone to failure, and also tend tobe relatively expensive. As such, many health clubs have yet to addpower meters to their indoor cycling and exercise bikes, and many ridersfind the expense of adding power to their road or mountain bikeprohibitive.

Often, rather than power meters, such clubs and riders, use heart ratemonitors for training and to provide feedback for a rider. These devicesalso may provide information concerning speed, distance traveled, andcalories, but that information cannot include or be based upon powermeasurements and thus may not be as accurate as values derived form ortaking into account power. Measuring heart rate, however, whileproviding useful information for measuring performance, is not as goodas measuring power in providing consistent and useful information to therider. For example, when rapidly accelerating or sprinting, heart ratelags behind the rider's effort whereas power provides a nearlyinstantaneous reflection of the rider's effort. When a rider isdehydrated, malnourished, tired, sick, injured, or otherwise not inoptimal riding condition, the rider may conduct a workout at a typicalheart rate but their power at that heart rate may be considerably lessthan typical. Thus, the rider can identify and possibly rectify thecause of the non-optimal condition. Finally, measuring and comparingpower over an extended period of training, can help a rider identifytraining that helps increase power and those that do not and therebycontinually refine and improve their training regimen.

With these thoughts in mind among others, aspects of the power meter andrelated power measurement techniques of the present disclosure wereconceived.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present disclosure involves a power measurementassembly comprising a crank arm including at least two strain gauges.The power measurement assembly further includes a housing mounted on thecrank arm and including a circuit connected to the at least two straingauges and configured to provide an output to a processor proportionalto a force applied to the crank. The processor is further configured tocalculate a power value and the housing further includes a wirelesstransmitter configured to receive the power value and transmitinformation representative of the power value.

Another aspect of the present disclosure involves a power measurementassembly comprising a crank arm defining a pedal aperture and a bottombracket aperture. The crank arm has two or more strain gauges configuredto react in response to a force applied to the crank arm. The straingauges are arranged in parallel and each of the strain gauges arepositioned, such as through an adhesive, on a common wall of the crankarm. A housing is mounted on the crank arm and the housing includes anelement, such as a reed switch or an accelerometer, providing an outputcorresponding to revolutions of the crank arm. The housing furtherincludes a circuit including the strain gauges where the circuit isconfigured to provide an output to a processor as a function of theforce applied to the crank and the processor is configured to calculatea power value. The housing may further include a wireless transmitterconfigured to transmit information representative of the power value.

Another aspect of the present disclosure involves an exercise bicyclecomprising a power measurement assembly including a crank arm defining apedal aperture, a bottom bracket aperture, and a longitudinal centerlineextending between the pedal aperture and the bottom bracket aperture.The crank arm further includes a recess, which may be a machined recess,positioned relatively closer to the bottom bracket aperture than thepedal aperture. The recess is positioned on an inside wall of the crankarm and includes four strain gauges disposed within the recess. Two ofthe four strain gauges are disposed on the crank arm on one side andsubstantially equidistant from the longitudinal centerline and two ofthe four strain gauges disposed on an opposing side and substantiallyequidistant from the longitudinal centerline. The strain gauges are eachpositioned with the same relative orientation and substantially parallelsuch that the two gauges on one side of the longitudinal centerline willbe in compression while the two gauges on the opposing side of thelongitudinal centerline will be in tension when a force is applied atthe pedal aperture. The power measurement assembly further includes ahousing mounted to the recess of the crank arm. The housing includes acircuit board with a reed switch configured to provide a pulse duringrotation of the crank arm and further including a Wheatstone bridgecircuit including at least the four strain gauges. The Wheatstone bridgecircuit is configured to provide an output to a processor proportionalto a force applied to the crank. The processor is configured tocalculate a power value. The circuit board further includes a wirelesstransmitter configured to receive the power value and transmitinformation representative of the power value. Finally, the housingincludes a cantilevered portion extending from the recess along thelongitudinal centerline toward the pedal aperture where the cantileverportion is disposed above but not in contact with the crank arm andhouses at least one battery to provide power to the circuit board.

Finally, another aspect of the present disclosure involves an exercisedevice crank arm with a power measurement assembly, comprising a crankarm including a pedal aperture, the crank arm further including at leastone unmodified sidewall. The unmodified sidewall is as produced by acrank arm manufacturer. The crank arm further includes a set of straingauges adhered to the at least one unmodified sidewall, such as throughan adhesive or even tape but not through a mechanical device such as ascrew. The set of strain gauges includes a plurality of strain of gaugeseach arranged parallel to the others, The crank arm further includes apower assembly housing adhered to the at least one unmodified sidewall,the power assembly housing defining at least one cavity surrounding thestrain gauges. The strain gauges include leads connecting the straingauges in a circuit configuration producing an output to a processoralso within the housing, the power assembly configured to wirelesslytransmit a power value.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Example embodiments are illustrated in referenced figures of thedrawings. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosedherein are to be considered illustrative rather than limiting.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a crank arm with a power measurementapparatus connected thereto;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the crank arm and power measurement apparatusshown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a left side view of the crank arm shown in FIG. 1 , andparticularly showing the outside of the crank arm from which a pedalwould extend;

FIG. 4A is a top view of the crank arm and power measurement apparatusshown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4B is a top view of the crank arm and power measurement apparatusshown in FIG. 1 , with some components of the power measurementapparatus hidden to illustrate internal components;

FIG. 5A is a right side view of the crank arm and power measurementapparatus shown in FIG. 1 , and particularly illustrated the inside ofthe crank arm to which the power measurement apparatus is connected;

FIG. 5B is a right side view of the crank arm and power measurementapparatus shown in FIG. 1 , and particularly illustrated the inside ofthe crank arm to which the power measurement apparatus is connected,with some components of the power measurement apparatus hidden toillustrate internal components;

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the inside of the crank arm particularlyillustrating a recess, which may be machined or directly molded into thecrank arm, within which are four resistive reed switches that provide afluctuation in resistance proportional to the force applied on a pedalconnected to the crank;

FIG. 7 is a right side view of the crank arm as shown in FIG. 6 andproviding further detail as to the arrangement of the strain gaugeswithin the recess of the crank arm;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the crank arm and power measurement device withvarious components hidden to illustrate internal components;

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the crank arm and power measurementapparatus with the cover of the cantilevered portion of the housingremoved;

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the power measurement apparatus withvarious components hidden;

FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram of a Wheatstone bridge circuit and relatedprocessing components that may be used to provide a voltage outputproportional to the force applied to the crank arm;

FIG. 12A is a diagram depicting for positions of a crank arm duringrotation.

FIG. 12B illustrates an output voltage waveform of the Wheatstone bridgecircuit of FIG. 11 for approximately one revolution a crank arm;

FIG. 13 is system diagram illustrating the electrical componentspositioned at the crank arm and within the power measurement housing inwireless communication with a display computer provided separately fromthe power measurement apparatus; and

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating one method of calculating andtransmitting power measurements from the power measurement apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the present disclosure involve a power measurement assemblymounted on a crank arm of an exercise bicycle, indoor cycling bicycle,bicycle, or other form of mobile device or exercise equipment. In oneparticular implementation, each of the components that measure power,calculate power, and transmit the power calculation to a display aremounted on a crank arm. In one particular implementation, the displaywirelessly receives power data and displays a power value, the displaymay be mounted anywhere desirable, such as on a handlebar, the displaymay be incorporated in a wrist watch, or the power data may betransmitted to other devices, such as a smart phone, for a real-timedisplay and/or storage. Existing equipment that includes a crank may beeasily retrofitted with a crank arm that wirelessly transmits a powermeasurement.

In the example implementation shown herein, a power measurement device10 is mounted on a crank arm 12. The crank arm 12 shown is particularlysuited for an indoor cycling (IC) bicycle; however, the crank arm may beused on other forms of exercise bicycles, whether upright, recumbent, orotherwise, may be used with bicycles, may be used with other forms offitness equipment that employ a crank arm, such as elliptical trainers,stair climbing machines, and the like, and may be used with any devicethat includes a crank arm and where power measurement or the componentsof power measurement (e.g. torque, force, RPM) may be desired orotherwise beneficial. Suitable indoor cycling bicycling bicycles thatmay include a crank arm with the described power measurement device areillustrated in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 13/267,479 and13/267,719 titled “Exercise Bicycle with Bicycle Seat and HandlebarAdjustment Assemblies” and “Exercise Bicycle with Magnetic FlywheelBrake” respectively, and which are both hereby incorporated by referenceherein.

Referring to the various drawings and particularly FIGS. 1, 2, 4A, 4B,5A, 5B, 6 and 10 , the power measurement device 10 includes a housing 14secured to an inside portion 18 of the crank arm between a bottombracket aperture 20 and a pedal aperture 22. Various power measurementelectronics are provided within the housing. The inside portion 18 ofthe crank arm, where the housing 14 is mounted, is that portion adjacentor facing the bicycle frame, drive sprocket, etc. In various possibleother implementations, the housing 14 may also be secured to otherportions of the crank arm, such as the top, bottom or outside portion.However, securing the housing to the inside portion of the crank armshields the housing and attendant power measurement components frominadvertent contact with a rider or other obstacle. For example, if arider's foot were to slip off the pedal, the foot could contact thehousing if it was secured to some other portion of the crank arm.However, on the inside of the crank arm, the rider's foot would notcontact the housing.

Referring now to FIG. 4A, the housing 14 includes a mounted portion 24and a cantilever portion 26. The mounted portion 24 is secured, such asthrough a pair of bolts 28, to a machined recess 30 in the crank arm. Itis also possible to attach the housing 14 to the crank using tape,adhesive or other mechanisms. As discussed further below, one or morestrain gauges are mounted to the crank arm within the machined recess30. The mounted portion 24 defines a male portion with a circumferentialflange 32 such that the male portion is dimensioned to fit snugly withinthe machined recess. A gasket 34 may be provided in a circumferentialchannel defined in the mounted portion adjacent the crank. Whenassembled, the gasket is sandwiched between the mounted portion of thehousing and the crank arm to block moisture, such as sweat from a riderand water or mud from a trail or road, from entering into the recessedarea or into the housing.

The mounted portion further defines a cavity 36 within which areprovided a circuit board 38, reed switch 40 (attached to the circuitboard) and a port 42 by which electrical components on the circuit boardmay be accessed or otherwise communicated with to download software orfirmware updates as well as to access information. Thus, besides thestrain gauge and electrical connections thereto, the various electricalcomponents that process the strain gauge outputs and transmit the dataare located within the cavity of the housing. In one particulararrangement, a pair of bolts 28 extend through the mounted housing andare secured to matching threaded apertures 44 defined in the recessedportion of the crank. The printed circuit 38 board extends between andis connected to a pair of molded cylinders 46 through which the bolts 28pass. The molded cylinders 46 form an integral part of the mountedportion 24 of the housing and extend between an outer wall 48 of themounted portion and the recess in the crank arm. The cylinders may bedimensioned so that it engages the crank and prevents the housing frombeing cracked while tightening the bolts.

The power assembly discussed herein may also be adhered,non-mechanically fastened, to any form of existing crank arm withoutmodifying the crank. In such an example, the power assembly housing mayor may not include a cantilever portion and will not include a maleportion configured to engage a recess. Strain gauges may be adhereddirectly to a particular crank wall, without physical modification ofthe side wall. Some surface preparation (cleaning, etc.) may be requiredbefore adhering the strain gauges to the crank wall, however. A lowersurface of the power assembly housing will define an opening suitable tocover the strain gauges and receive leads connected to the straingauges. Given the vast number of possible crank arms to which theassembly might be adhered, it is possible that the lower surface and/orwall engaging the crank arm surface, may be contoured to match the crankarm wall contour of a given crank arm. Alternatively, a plurality ofdifferent adapters may be fabricated so that a common power assemblyhousing may mate to different crank arms. In such a configuration, andadapter may have a first side that has a matching contour of a givencrank arm, and a second side that has a matching contour of the commonpower assembly housing. The housing in any given configuration includesthe processor, batteries, and wireless transmission capability.Accordingly, the system may be mated to any of a variety of existingcrank arms without modification of the crank arm (e.g., without tappingthe crank arm to accepts bolts which could effect the structuralintegrity of the crank), and the power assembly will wireless transmit apower value that may be used to display the power being exerted whileriding and/or exercising on a device including the crank. With such asystem, there is no need to purchase or replace existing drive traincomponents. Rather, a rider may simply retrofit or purchase a crank arm(with power assembly) for his or her existing drive train.

As shown in FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and others, within the recessed portion 30 ofthe crank arm, one or more strain gauges 50 may be provided. In theimplementation shown, two pair of strain gauges are shown with onemember of each pair disposed equidistant from a centerline 52 of thecrank arm to an opposing pair. The strain gauges are placed on theinside wall of the crank arm. In one particular implementation, thestrain gauges are glued to a smooth flat surface of the crank. While amachined or otherwise provided recess is shown, the power measurementapparatus may be applied to an existing crank arm with little or nopreprocessing of the crank arm. The machined recess 30 shown is providedwith a smooth flat bottom upon which the strain gauges are secured. Toassist with consistency between crank assemblies, a template may be usedto apply the strain gauges to the crank surface within the machinedrecess. Alternatively, the strain gauge may be pre-mounted on asubstrate in a desired configuration, and the substrate mounted to thecrank. The side walls of the machined recess also provide a convenientway to locate the housing.

In the implementation shown, the strain gauges 50 are placed relativelycloser to where the crank is mounted at a bottom bracket compared towhere torque is applied to the crank arm at the pedal 54. As such, withthe strain gauges 50 placed relatively closer to the pivot point of thecrank arm (i.e., the bending point of the theoretical beam), there isgreater strain gauge output resolution providing a larger output voltageof the Wheatstone bridge circuit, discussed herein, compared to havingthe strain gauges been placed relatively closer to the pedal point giventhe same torque. With greater resolution, the output voltage is largerelative to noise and other spurious voltage outputs therefore, thecircuit requires relatively less filtering, amplification and the liketo accurately extract the voltage reading of the circuit.

As shown, the strain gauges 50 may be placed on the same wall of thecrank arm and are arranged in the same relative direction. In oneparticular example, the strain gauges are each parallel to the othergauges. Stated differently, each strain gauge defines a longitudinalaxis across which the strain gauge is response to tension orcompression. Each of the strain gauges is arranged such that thelongitudinal axes are parallel. Hence, in the example of FIG. 7 , withthe illustrated downward force on the crank, the upper strain gauges(SG1 and SG2) will be in tension while the lower strain gauges (SG3 andSG4) will be placed in compression. The arrangement, through itsgeometry, filters out forces not relevant to measuring power applied tothe cranks causing rotation about the bottom bracket. For example,should a transverse force (e.g. normal to plane defined by the 2 pair ofgauges) be applied to the pedal, such as if a rider is applying a forcethat has both downward and non-downward forces on the pedal, then all ofthe strain gauges will compress or tension in the same way from thetransverse force and cause a 0 voltage output of the Wheatstone bridgecircuit. Similarly, non-tangential forces applied to the pedal areautomatically normalized to a tangential force measurement.

Additionally, the strain gauges are positioned on the same wall orsurface of the crank arm. In the particular examples set out herein, thestrain gauges are each on an inside wall of the crank arm. The insidewall is the wall facing an opposing crank or otherwise the frame of theexercise bicycle when the crank is assembled on the exercise bicycle.The assembly can be positioned on other walls, depending on theconfiguration. The inside wall, however, provides some protection ofinadvertent contact. The inside wall (or opposite outside wall)experiences less deflection during riding as compared to the upper andlower walls (those walls or surfaces connecting the inside and outsidewalls). Placing the strain gauges on those upper and/or lower walls,would provide greater strain gauge bridge output for the same forcesthereby providing potentially higher resolution bridge outputs.Nonetheless, those wall are potentially at risk for much greaterinadvertent contact, whether on an indoor bike or outside bike.

The strain gauges 50 each include leads 56 connected in a Wheatstonebridge circuit arrangement. For example, as shown in FIG. 11 , thestrain gauges are connected in the circuit arrangement shown. Othercircuit arrangements are possible that use more or less strain gauges,such as a half bridge configuration. An input voltage is applied to thebridge circuit and the output voltage of the circuit is proportional tothe tangential bending force (torque) applied to the crank arm. Theoutput voltage may be applied to some form of conditioning andamplification circuitry, such as a differential amplifier and filterthat will provide an output voltage to the processor. It is furtherpossible to use an analog to digital converter to convert and conditionthe signal.

With the illustrated strain gauge configuration, the output voltage ofthe Wheatstone bridge circuit is proportional to the torque applied andalso indicative of the direction of rotation and the crank position. Asillustrated in FIGS. 12A and 12B, generally speaking, the output of theWheatstone bridge will be a sinusoid with the highest output voltagewith the crank approximately horizontal and a downward force applied tothe crank arm (crank position A, FIG. 12B). As the crank moves throughthe downward vertical position (crank position B), the voltage willtypically be about 0, as the crank moves upward to horizontal (crankposition C) the voltage will be slightly negative. Typically thedownward force of the opposing crank arm pushes the measured arm upagainst some weight of the rider's leg (typically riders do not pullupward on the cranks, the opposing leg hence uses some force to push theopposing crank arm upward against the opposing leg), and as the crankmoves through the upward vertical position (crank position D) the outputvoltage will transition from a negative value to a positive value, andreach its peak output again as the crank is rotated through horizontal(crank position A).

In one possible implementation of the power measurement device 10, powermeasurement only occurs on one of two crank arms. In such anarrangement, relative symmetry between the right and left leg of a givenrider is assumed and the average power calculated from the powermeasurement device on one crank is doubled and transmitted to thedisplay processor. In one example, the power doubling occurs within thepower measurement device, by the processor or otherwise, and the powervalue wirelessly transmitted by the device includes the doubling. Withsuch an arrangement, the power measurement device may work with aproprietary display device or may work with third party devices thatimplicitly expect a value that accounts for both legs and has noinherent functionality to double a value. In some examples, the devicemay wireless transmit the single leg (crank) power value and doublingmay occur at the display processor or related display electronics.Alternatively, the display may be configured to sum to power valueswireless received, when separate power measurement devices are eachmounted on opposing crank arms to provide distinct crank arm powermeasurements.

Regardless, the power calculations/measurements displayed are indicativeof the total power output by a given rider. Measuring power of only oneleg, while theoretically not as precise as separate devices for eachleg, nonetheless has several advantages. First, retrofitting andmaintaining the power measurement device is far less complicated andcostly compared to a similar implementation with two devices. Secondly,when installed on training equipment, particularly in a gym environmentwhere a given rider may not use the same equipment during successivetrips to the gym, the device set out herein may be calibrated such thatpower measurements across machines is consistent. With such consistency,whether across machines or not, a given rider can measure overallrelative riding differences. Of course, it is possible to apply a powermeasurement device to each crank arm of a given machine and provideindividual crank arm power measurements as well as a summation of thepower measurements. In such an implementation, a rider would be providedwith data on each individual leg as well as a total power outputindicative of overall power output.

A reed switch 40 is included in the power measurement device and amagnet (not shown) may be placed on the frame of whatever device thecrank is attached to such that the reed switch closes as it passes themagnet. Thus, the time between two pulses of the reed switch indicateone complete revolution of the crank. Using a microprocessor clock, thepulses can be converted to a revolution per minute measurement.

“Power” is the most common measurement of a rider's strength. Referringto FIG. 14 , in one implementation, the instantaneous torque 15 measuredby the strain gauges with the output voltage of the strain gauges being,is converted to a power value for display. First, the voltage output ofthe strain gauges is provided to the processor (operation 1400). Theoutput of the circuit is a measure of torque and therefore is convertedto power through obtaining a radians/sec value. As mentioned herein, thevoltage output may first be converted to a digital value through ananalog to digital converter. In on specific implementation, power(watts) is calculated as radians/sec multiplied by the torque value.Power (Watts)=Radians/Sec×Torque.  (1)

The reed switch and/or the accelerometer provide data indicative of eachrevolution of the crank arms. In conjunction with the processor clock,or otherwise, the processor obtains a revolutions per minute value inradians per second (operation 1410). With a reed switch, a pulse isreceive at each revolution of the crank arm, and the pulse to convertedto revolutions per minute through comparison with the processor clock.Then, to convert the RPM value to Radians/Sec, a multiplier value of0.1047 is used, in one particular example.RPM×0.1047=Rad/Sec.  (2)

The strain gauge measurement, in conjunction with the revolutionmeasurements, is converted to an instantaneous power value by asdiscussed above and multiplying that value by the length of the crankarm between the apertures (operation 1420).Torque (N*m)=Force (Newton)×Length (meters).  (3)

Hence, with measured torque multiplied by the Rad/Sec value, power iscalculated. In one example, power is sampled at 32 Hz, and converted andwirelessly transmitted (operation 1430) to the display using the ANT+protocol developed by Dynastream Innovations, Inc. While the transmitteris shown as a discrete component within the housing, it is possible thatit, along with other electrical components, might be provided in theprocessor. Further, the processor may be implemented as an ASIC, ascomputer executable instructions in a memory attached to the processor,as a customized circuit, etc. Moreover, other protocols and wirelesstransmission mechanism may be employed.

In one possible implementation, the average power is displayed(operation 1440) over a number of samples as opposed to an averageacross all samples. In this way, large changes in power associated withrapid acceleration, for example, may be captured but rapidly changingfluctuations between power measurements are filtered by the averaging.In one example, a rolling average of the most recent 64 measurements isdisplayed. Hence, the most recent 64 power measurements are summed anddivided by 64 to display average power. Note, the power measurementdevice transmits instantaneous power measurements at 32 Hz and thosemeasurements are doubled (to account for the opposing crank without apower measurement device). While this combination of transmissionfrequency and averaging is not necessary, it has been shown to beresponsive to instantaneous changes associated with quick accelerationas well as providing a display that is not overly jittery if too fewvalues are averaged. It is also possible to transmit torque values (orvoltages) and RPM measurements, and then calculate power within thedisplay counsel.

Returning again to the figures illustrating the housing 14 (e.g., FIGS.1, 2, and 4 ) adjacent the mounted portion 26 is a cantilevered portionof the housing. The cantilevered portion 26 extends from the mountedportion 24 along the crank arm body toward the pedal aperture 22. Thecantilevered portion 26 houses batteries 58 and connection points toprovide power to the electrical components within the mounted portion ofthe housing. The cantilevered portion defines a substantially flatbottom adjacent, but not touching, the inside portion of the crank arm.Because the crank arm does bend during usage albeit only slightly,cantilevering a portion of the housing provides several advantages.Firstly, by not touching the crank arm, there will not be any squeakscaused by the crank arm moving relative to and rubbing against thecantilevered portion. Secondly, the cantilevered portion is not boltedto the crank arm. Had the cantilevered portion been bolted, the bendingdistance between the bolts on the mounted portion relative to a bolt onthe cantilevered portion could potentially cause the housing to crack,to loosen the bolts, or to damage some internal components.

The cantilevered portion 26 includes a base portion 62 that extends fromand is integral to the mounted portion. The base portion 62 includesopposing side walls 64 and a front wall 56 distal a midwall 68 of themounted portion. Battery contact points 60 are provided at the frontwall and the midwall and batteries are positioned therebetween. Wiresare connected to the contact points and routed to the circuit board toprovide power to the various components coupled thereto. A cover 70 issnap fit to the base portion and may further be secured by a small screw72 engaging a threaded aperture in the front wall. The embodiment shownincludes two AA batteries, which are well suited for a club environmentfor ease of exchange and long life. It is also possible to use smallerwatch style (coin) batteries or other types of power supply.

In an alternative implementation, an accelerometer, which may be a twoor three axis accelerometer, may be used alone or in conjunction withthe reed switch. An accelerometer may be used to provide both crankposition and rpm measurements. Namely, for example, in a two axisaccelerometer or a three axis accelerator where two of the three axisare used, one axis may be aligned with the crank arm and the other axisoriented at 90 degrees to the crank arm. Accordingly, one axis willoutput a value commensurate with the g-force experienced by the crankand the other axis will output a value 90 degrees out of phase with thefirst. By knowing the axis associated with the crank and whetherattached to the left or right crank, the accelerometer, will output avalue that is a function of the crank position among other factors.Further by comparing the output of the other axis, it can be determinedwhether the cranks are being pedaled forward or backward.

In another alternative implementation, a thermistor is operablyassociated with the processor. Strain gauges, the crank material, andother components are affected by temperature. Accordingly, it ispossible that when a power assembly is exposed to significanttemperature variations, such as during a ride that commences early inthe morning and continues as the outside temperature increases, thepower output delivered by the device would vary based on temperature. Insuch situations, the device may output different power values due totemperature even when the rider is cranking at the same power. So, arider cranking along at 150 watts in the early morning would have apower reading of 150 watts, and the same rider cranking along at 150watts after it has warmed up outside may only have a power reading of100 watts. The thermistor can be used to provide temperaturecompensation to the power value and thereby reduce or eliminate thetemperature effect on the power calculation.

In one particular implementation, the Wheatstone bridge circuit providesits voltage output to an analog-to-digital converter to convert thevoltage to a digital value. The thermistor also outputs its voltage tothe analog-to-digital converter to convert the voltage to a digitalvalue. These values are then input to the processor. Therefore, theprocessor receives a digital power value and a digital temperaturevalue.

The processor, which is coupled with a memory and/or includes on-boardmemory, has a power curve and may also have a temperature curve (forthose embodiments including a thermistor). Each curve may be establishedby measuring the output of the A-to-D converter at two known values(e.g., two known forces on the pedal or two known temperatures). Sincethe curves are typically straight line curves, two values are sufficientto determine the slope of the curve. For the power curve, an A-to-Dvalue is compared with the power curve to determine the power beingapplied to the crank. To compensate for temperature, the A-to-D value ofthe thermistor is used to select an temperature offset value (orcompensation value) from the temperature curve to apply to the powervalue.

Although various representative embodiments of this invention have beendescribed above with a certain degree of particularity, those skilled inthe art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodimentswithout departing from the spirit or scope of the inventive subjectmatter set forth in the specification. All directional references (e.g.,upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, leftward, rightward, top,bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, clockwise, andcounterclockwise) are only used for identification purposes to aid thereader's understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, anddo not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation,or use of the invention unless specifically set forth in the claims.Joinder references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, and the like)are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members betweena connection of elements and relative movement between elements. Assuch, joinder references do not necessarily infer that two elements aredirectly connected and in fixed relation to each other.

In some instances, components are described with reference to “ends”having a particular characteristic and/or being connected to anotherpart. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the presentinvention is not limited to components which terminate immediatelybeyond their points of connection with other parts. Thus, the term “end”should be interpreted broadly, in a manner that includes areas adjacent,rearward, forward of, or otherwise near the terminus of a particularelement, link, component, member or the like. In methodologies directlyor indirectly set forth herein, various steps and operations aredescribed in one possible order of operation, but those skilled in theart will recognize that steps and operations may be rearranged,replaced, or eliminated without necessarily departing from the spiritand scope of the present invention. It is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsshall be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. Changes indetail or structure may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention as defined in the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A power measurement assembly comprising: acrank arm having a first end and a second opposite end, the crank armincluding a pedal aperture at the first end, the crank arm comprising awall on a first side of the crank arm, the wall having an outer surface;at least two strain gauges mounted on the outer surface of the wall onthe first side of the crank arm and between the pedal aperture and thesecond end; and a housing affixed entirely on the outer surface of thewall on the first side of the crank arm and disposed entirely at alocation between the pedal aperture and the second end, the housingcovering the at least two strain gauges; and a circuit board positionedwithin the housing.
 2. The power measurement assembly of claim 1 furthercomprising: the crank arm defining a longitudinal line along the outersurface of the wall on the first side of the crank arm and between thepedal aperture and the second end, the at least two strain gaugescomprising a first strain gauge positioned on a first side of thelongitudinal line and a second strain gauge positioned on a secondopposite side of the longitudinal line equidistant from the first straingauge, the first and second strain gauges being substantially parallel.3. The power measurement assembly of claim 2 wherein the wall on thefirst side of the crank arm is an inside wall of the crank arm, theinside wall facing a bicycle frame when the crank arm is operablymounted on the bicycle frame.
 4. The power measurement assembly of claim2 wherein the at least two strain gauges include four strain gauges witha third strain gauge positioned on the first side of the longitudinalline and adjacent the first strain gauge, and with a fourth strain gaugepositioned on the second side of the longitudinal line and adjacent thesecond strain gauge, and further comprising a Wheatstone bridge circuitincluding the first strain gauge, the second strain gauge, the thirdstrain gauge and the fourth strain gauge.
 5. The power measurementassembly of claim 1 wherein the at least two strain gauges furthercomprise a substrate.
 6. The power measurement assembly of claim 5wherein the at least two strain gauges comprise four strain gaugesinterconnected in a Wheatstone bridge.
 7. The power measurement assemblyof claim 5 wherein the substrate is adhered to the crank arm.
 8. Thepower measurement assembly of claim 1 wherein the housing includes acircuit operatively connected to the at least two strain gauges, thecircuit providing an output proportional to a force applied to the crankarm.
 9. The power measurement assembly of claim 1 wherein the crank armfurther includes a bottom bracket aperture at the second end.
 10. Apower measurement assembly comprising: a crank arm having a first endand a second opposite end, the first end including a pedal aperture, thecrank arm comprising a first sidewall on a first side of the crank armand a second sidewall on a second opposite side of the crank arm, thepedal aperture supporting a pedal extending from the second sidewall onthe second opposite side of the crank arm; at least two strain gaugesmounted on the first sidewall and between the pedal aperture and thesecond end; and a housing mounted entirely on the first sidewall andpositioned entirely between the pedal aperture and the second end of thecrank arm, the housing enclosing the at least two strain gauges; and acircuit board positioned within the housing.
 11. The power measurementassembly of claim 10 further comprising: the crank arm defining alongitudinal line along the first sidewall and between the pedalaperture and the second end, the at least two strain gauges comprising afirst strain gauge positioned on a first side of the longitudinal lineand a second strain gauge positioned on a second opposite side of thelongitudinal line equidistant from the first strain gauge, the first andsecond strain gauges being substantially parallel.
 12. The powermeasurement assembly of claim 11 wherein the first sidewall is facing abicycle frame when the crank arm is operably mounted on the bicycleframe.
 13. The power measurement assembly of claim 11 wherein the atleast two strain gauges include four strain gauges with a third straingauge positioned on the first side of the longitudinal line and adjacentthe first strain gauge, and with a fourth strain gauge positioned on thesecond side of the longitudinal line and adjacent the second straingauge, and further comprising a Wheatstone bridge circuit including thefirst strain gauge, the second strain gauge, the third strain gauge andthe fourth strain gauge.
 14. The power measurement assembly of claim 10wherein the housing includes a circuit operatively connected to the atleast two strain gauges, the circuit providing an output proportional toa force applied to the crank arm when the pedal is engaged.
 15. Thepower measurement assembly of claim 10 wherein the crank arm furtherincludes a bottom bracket aperture at the second end.